The Feminist Poetic of Xia Yu - Admission/Application Essay Example

Literature views sexuality as a significant social issue of concern. It explores sexuality on diverse perspectives that are based on the concepts of sexual feelings, attraction, sexual preferences, etc. (Yeh, pp. 33-60). For example, as seen most brilliantly in Yu Xuanji poem “Selling Wilted Peonies,” the wilting of peonies was used as a symbol for the fading of a woman’s beauty. In the poem, Xuanji canvassed the complex subject of sexuality in a more multifaceted way. The nature of this poem insists on the importance and deployment of ideas coined in metaphors with wide-range of implications. For example, Xuanji used flowers as a metaphor to make an identity between object and woman in the verse; in the verse there is such identification whose implication seems to hint the aspect of woman beauty in an amorous nature. The expense of using flowers is so considerable that the use of the peony as an emblem for the highly appreciative beauty of a woman that fades with time in inevitable in Xuanji's poem. Studies of sexuality and the self, both medieval and modern, have proved particularly useful for shaping and informing literature on how Chinese female writers conceived the issue of sexuality, thereby bringing to light the implication of metaphorical ideas for literary and socio-cultural interpretations. Similarly, I would like to learn how poetic writers historicized socio-culture and historical contexts in their literal works. Xuanji metaphorical approach help interpreters and lovers of her poems understand her poetic messages in a broader perspective whereby the sexuality is considered important. In attempting to address the issue of sexuality in her poem, Xuanji has shown how fruitful a robust use of metaphors can be influential in contemporary literature. She illustrates very convincingly how the particular aptness of the poem for the exploration of feminism can be deployed in poetry yet passing intended message to the audience (Yeh, pp. 118). Her work on feminism shows that this capacity for extrapolating and using metaphors allows poems to be intelligible to the audience. The very process of making sense of what I read appears to be grounded in my ability to understand poetic work and strong constructions that poets generously call “metaphors” with a potential for a variety of themes that influence my thoughts, feelings, and desires. In order to acquire a clearer depiction of the message presented in the poem, I intend to vividly look for the indicators that allow me to guess what the poem writer insinuates when he/she uses metaphors and other poetic languages. Xuanji poem attempts to focus on erotic perspectives whereby she established a long value of women beauty by investigating the socio-structures that determine whether or not a woman lovable due to her beauty. In the poem, the aspect of self and beauty are closely related, and Xuanji shows that they fluctuate together. Cognitively, Xuanji elucidates that humans are cognitively evolved to make good judgment of what they perceive, feel, and hear, as well as real-life encounters. This she did it by deploying metaphorical theory of objects that she relates with real-life encounters. Xuanji raises the phenomenon of feminism briefly. The way in which a beautiful woman was not approached despite her beauty that Xuanji relates to peonies brings about the question of valuing woman in cultural perspectives. In this view, Xuanji engaged the audience, teasing and pushed them to be tentative in order to keep track of the issues related to sexuality. Although women have the prerequisite of modeling their sexual behaviors for them to be attractive to their counterparts, values and norms play a major role in modeling what Xuanji symbolizes when she talks about "wilted peonies.” Indeed, individuals learn through conventions of cultural rules and ideals, which they acquire as channel of their actions. In this perspective, a beautiful woman can be wilted if at all her behaviors are delinquent. Xuanji seeks to reveal that the everyday delinquent actions can essentially be related to wilted peonies. Bad behaviors are not beautiful, and not even a single soul can be attracted to a delinquent person. The use of “flowers” in her poem literary was a parable that shows consequences of leading delinquent ways. I believe that Xuanji relied on the idea of conceptual blending explaining an aspect of sexuality particularly that of the aspect of eroticism. Fundamentally, conceptual blending is hugely influential and useful to raising the ability to understand Xuanji’s poem and the message presented at large. She successfully did this by seeing the relevance of using metaphors in her poem whose core role was to blend the concept of eroticism and beauty into a single figurative expression. The conceptual metaphor of "selling wilted flowers" holds a special role for developing abstract ideas. In the subsequent pages, I will try to discuss the poem "selling wilted peonies" according to my viewpoint and how I understand it. Selling Wilted Peonies Facing the wind, she raises a sigh as the petals fall and fall; fragrant thoughts all sink and vanish with yet another spring. No one asks about them because his or her price is high, though even butterflies cannot come close to a fragrance that's so strong. Red petals that should only have grown in a palace, jade-green leaves tainted by the dust of the road— if only they were moved into the imperial gardens, young nobles would regret having no means to buy! As discussed in class, the use of metaphors in poetry is one of the most significant poetic styles that a learner should learn and understand clearly. Xuanji had the capacity to personalize objects to resemble human beings. The title of the poem "selling wilted ponies" can tell more about the poem. Firstly, ponies are flowers derived from herbaceous trees. The trees are well known for their showy flowers. In this perspective, the writer tried to resemble these trees with a woman who is well known of her beauty. In the first line of her poem, Xuanji talks about a woman who sighs and sighs as the petals of the ponies flowers fall. In the line, Xuanji described a person whose beauty fades with time. She talked about falling petals. These falling petals are images that she used to describe the intense of fading and wearing of a beauty that no one noticed. In this perspective, the poem has a potential message that elucidates how the contemporary society has changed in the social context. Consistently, it is surprising to seeing how no one noticed her beauty and therefore, there is a considerable amount of inquiry and exploration why such a beautiful woman agonized despite having all prettiness a woman should have in the world. Xuanji suggests that a woman so voyeuristically described may be a well-known woman who was beautiful, but her behaviors were delinquent. Including and not being restrictive to normative notions of beauty, I would say that I believe sexuality is a thing shaped by individual’s behaviors and like Xuanji insinuates, beauty is not physical appearance but real feminism that is shaped by her behaviors. Literature has it that the eternal feminism is unique and should not be changeless. In this sense, it is clear that Xuanji tried to explain or elucidate elements that could not have been described in an ordinary language. What I learn from the first line is that the family unit could influence person’s sexual behaviors. For example, value and norms among other social aspects can determine the beauty of a woman. Inclusion of social support is relevant in initiation of positive sexual behaviors; through social support, parents can control the development of delinquent social and sexual behaviors. They can provide supportive information through discussions of sexuality issues. In the third line, Xuanji explains “no one asks about them because his or her prices are high.” I tend to think that the author was trying to relate the mentioned character with her behaviors that are high to maintain or afford. After every spring, not even a single soul would have the courage relate with her because of her delinquent behaviors. In a psychological perspective, such a woman develops low self-esteem due to lack of companionship. Imagine this, a beautiful flower that not even butterflies can come close despite its fragrance, so strong and attractive. In the fourth line of the poem, Xuanji was trying to resemble the woman beauty with beautiful flowers whose prettiness cannot attract butterflies. In the poem, Xuanji incorporated this line to make her poem more erotic hence making her work qualify in erotic literature. Her work is outstanding because she has the capacity to characterize objects to resemble human characters that she does in the overall descriptions. In the last three lines, the author tries to explain how individuals should know which sexual behaviors are pleasurable and suitable for everyone to embrace. In the search of knowledge of sexuality, the poem demonstrated the beauty as the main element that brides many people when it comes to selecting real beauty in the society. This has been a social problem that most feminist writers have been focusing in order to provide succinct knowledge to people who fall victims of such social mistakes in life. Looking beyond the beauty, specific formation of the poem was confined within the metaphorical perspectives in which the author needed to pass an educative message to the society. Indeed, the use of the word palace in the poem has more to tell focusing instead on expressions of the more universal notion of individual identity and initiation of behaviors that defines an individual's beauty. Broadening the inquiry to beauty and social behaviors, it seems Xuanji was reflective and focused on the development of positive behaviors that defines once beauty. In this sense, I can acquire some insight into my own composed fundamentals of self and learn how to shape by beauty through development of good behaviors. In conclusion, individual’s perception accounts for one's sexual behaviors and beliefs towards sexuality. In fact, an individual is always a contributor of what he or she becomes rather than a determinant of the same. Therefore, it is clear from Xuanji's poem that the ability to make things turn out, and the technicalities of how people are made to occur are two distinct aspects that determine individual's overall beauty. This paper has tried to investigate Xuanji’s literal work and its relevance to the audience. The idea of the “self” development is emphasized in the poem. The author tried to demonstrate that the idea of beauty is not all about physical appearance but beauty entails more than physical beauty. I find this poem educative and also entertaining in an erotic manner. Works Cited Yeh, Michelle. "The Feminist Poetic of Xia Yu." Modern Chinese Literature (1993): 33-60. Read More